BlackTree TV caught up with Zac Efron and Charlie Tahan at Dodgers Stadium right before batting practice and we had a chance to talk to them about their new movie Charlie St. Cloud.
One of the most compelling elements in the story is Charlie's singular ability to see those who are strad- dling the delicate expanse between death and life, especially those who have been laid to rest in the Seaside Cemetery, where he works. How this facet of Sherwood's novel should be depicted on film provoked a good deal of discussion among the film- makers and was also an intriguing part of Steers' decision to direct the project.
Steers wanted to explore how we continue to carry those people we've been close to who have died. He wondered: "How do they still affect us and live on as part of us, long after they've passed away? Is Sam a spirit, or is he a figment of Charlie's imagination? I always wanted to keep both of those possibilities alive. You don't know if his psyche's been cracked by this horrible incident, or if he's really seeing people from beyond. People will think and view this movie very differently."
Efron explains Charlie's precarious situation of being able to live between two worlds: "Charlie doesn't know if he's insane. All he knows is that for an hour every day at sunset, he's able to hang out with his little brother again. The ability to see Sam is a huge gift, but at the same time, it's very much a curse. He becomes very unsocial and a pariah in town. He can't interact with society anymore, because he's got this weight that he carries."
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